NHL

5:18 PM ET NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday defended the comments made earlier this week by Chicago Blackhawks owner and chairman Rocky Wirtz on his organization’s response to the Kyle Beach scandal. Wirtz gave a confrontational answer to a reporter who asked about how the Blackhawks planned to avoid power imbalances in the future

7:00 AM ET NHL Insiders The NHL’s stars have descended upon Las Vegas for the 2022 All-Star Weekend. The festivities begin with the Skills Competition on Friday night, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Then on Saturday, the four divisional squads square off in a tournament to determine bragging rights… and a $1,000,000 payday

9:50 AM ET The NHL All-Star Game exists for three audiences. There are the fans in the city in which it’s held, who fill seats in the arena and jam the convention center Fan Fest for a glimpse at the Selke Trophy; the sponsors, who fill suites in the arena and get that photo op

5:10 PM ET Ah, the NHL All-Star Skills Competition, that incomparable showcase of breathtaking hockey talent, where reputations are built and legends are made. And where better to bring the event back to life after last season’s COVID-19 layoff than the gaudy, glamorous Las Vegas Strip? Hockey in the desert is very happening. Just ask

8:59 PM ET Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz shut down questions about fallout surrounding the Kyle Beach scandal that has embroiled the organization for much of the last year. During a town hall with fans on Wednesday, one reporter asked the assembled panel, which include Wirtz and Blackhawks’ CEO Danny Wirtz, about how Chicago intended

11:58 PM ET Associated Press SEATTLE — Hockey Hall of Famer Cammi Granato said she had been asked for years to write a book about her experiences in becoming one of the best women’s hockey players of all time. She finally has, but on her own terms and with a specific audience in mind —

2:13 PM ET Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin will not participate in the NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas this weekend after entering the league’s COVID-19 protocol Wednesday following a positive test result. Ovechkin was also ruled out of the Capitals’ game against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night. Ovechkin, 36, had been voted in

7:20 AM ET It’s that time of year again. NHL All-Star Weekend. The festivities kick off Friday with the skills competition and carry into Saturday’s 3-on-3 tournament. It will be another star-studded event, filled with the league’s biggest and brightest talents showing off what they do best. Before the puck drops in Las Vegas, we’re

4:24 PM ET Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid will attempt to break an NHL All-Star record when he competes in the fastest skater skills competition Friday in Las Vegas. McDavid is a three-time winner of the event, winning three years in a row from 2017 to ’19. With a win Friday night at T-Mobile Arena,

8:00 AM ET Every NHL season, there’s a team whose success in the standings doesn’t sync up with some of its underlying numbers, leading fans to ask if they’re “actually this good.” So, are the New York Rangers actually this good? They’re second in the Metro Division with a 29-13-4 record (.674 points percentage). They

3:30 PM ET Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. — Devils coach Lindy Ruff will miss the next two games following the death of his father in western Canada. The Devils said Monday that Leeson Ruff died on Friday at a hospital in Warburg, Alberta. He was 88 and had been ill. Ruff will miss a home-and-home

6:28 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — Former Chicago Blackhawks forwards Eddie Olczyk, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp have agreed to help the team in its search for a new general manager. Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz said Olczyk, Hossa and Sharp “are respected hockey minds who have great knowledge of the game.” Mike Forde, the

3:46 PM ET ESPN News Services ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild and left wing Jordan Greenway agreed Monday to a three-year, $9 million contract extension that runs through the 2024-25 season. Greenway, 24, has four goals, nine assists and a career-high plus-17 rating in 33 games for the Wild this season. He is

8:11 PM ET Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi and Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov have been added to the 2022 NHL All-Star Game roster, the league announced Sunday. Josi, also the Predators’ captain, replaces Colorado Avalanche forward and All-Star captain Nathan MacKinnon, out with a facial fracture and concussion, on the Central Division roster. Dallas

12:27 PM ET Associated Press DAVOS, Switzerland — Jeremy Colliton has been elevated to head coach of Canada’s men’s hockey team for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing after Claude Julien was sidelined by an injury. Hockey Canada said Julien slipped on ice and fractured his ribs during training camp in Switzerland, and medical staff

11:17 PM ET ESPN News Services MONTREAL — Evander Kane scored in his Edmonton debut, capping a whirlwind week for the veteran forward, and the Oilers handled the struggling Montreal Canadiens, 7-2, on Saturday night. Kane, brought in to add balance to a star-laden offense that features Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl but has struggled

8:20 PM ET New York Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist had his No. 30 raised to the rafters in Madison Square Garden on Friday night, with a raucous crowd on hand to honor “The King.” “I’m so happy I get an opportunity to say thank you to all the amazing fans in here that have supported

9:38 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The Seattle Kraken at New York Islanders game scheduled for Saturday has been postponed due to an impending snow storm in the New York area. A state of emergency was called by New York governor Kathy Hochul on Friday, and the game was rescheduled for Wednesday night